WEEK ZERO: MINGLE

[retellers]

WEEK ZERO: MINGLE (43 remain) Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. Speaking of new, if participants turn on their PHS, they'll notice another section available. There's also an alert for a new message, titled TEAM ASSIGNMENT. Opening it will reveal which Leader they have been assigned to. Furthermore, at the corner of the PHS screen is an icon of an animal, depending on who their Leader is. It is visible only to them and no one else. That's not the only change, though. Participants may not notice at first—or perhaps they will?—but sooner or later, they may realize that they're... missing something? Strange. Three Leaders can be found around the area, open (?) to approach. If participants want to speak to them more privately, or to an absent Leader, it looks like they'll have to go through another channel. Which is to say, the Planetarium is now open! Finally, for the rest of the week, the participants will inexplicably have the urge to be physically affectionate. That person you just met days ago? Time to cuddle! This complete stranger you ran into? It sure is tempting to hold their hand. This urge can range anywhere from minor to impossible to ignore, depending on the situation. Enjoy your bonding!

NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories

Comments

[assistance]

[ in a very loud stage whisper to usagi as they walk into the emporium: ]

I think our teammate is just a party pooper.

[ and then, as she returns her voice to its proper cadence: ]

Fine, then. You take care of rock hunting, while Usagi and I look for the pom-poms. Can we at least agree on that much?

[moondumplings]

[ nods incredibly seriously because sulks-san she's pretty sure they're supposed to be enjoying this...!! ]

We should be able to find those super easy!

[arkitect]

[wow, it's a miracle, he's gone selectively deaf. he doesn't bother with that first comment.]

Acceptable enough. If we were to split fully, objects may be simpler to overlook.

[now where would a rock be hiding. or maybe where Wouldn't it, if they're really meant to hunt...]

[assistance]

[ she gives another tug to usagi's hand, leading the way further into the store. ]

Come on, let's try looking in the toy section. There's bound to be something resembling pom-poms there... ooh, maybe we could think of this as a girls' bonding activity, too!

[ no sulky grandpas necessary! ]

[moondumplings]

Oh, you're right! And there's bound to be plenty of things that they could be hiding in.

[ like those pencils with pom poms. and the cheerlead bears with pom poms. and those silly sweaters with nothing but pom-poms attached to it!! but it said it was split up, right? HM... that shouldn't be too hard to spot. (haha) ]

Now, if I was a pom-pom, where would I hide......?

[arkitect]

[enjoy your bonding for now, girls, he's going to be over in a nearby-ish part of the shop going through shelves of decorative paperweights. this would be a decent place to hide a rock, right...]

Just don't break anything over there.

[assistance]

[ she's sure emet means to be serious with his comment... but... she turns to usagi, holding up a finger like she's making a Very Important Point. ]

You know... even if we did break something, there isn't anybody around to hold us accountable!

[moondumplings]

[ she snickers into her hand and nods mischievously even as she wanders directly into the girls section. time to get immediately distracted by shiny things ]

Right?? I'd feel bad but there's no one here to yell!

[ time to discover there's been an npc sleeping behind the counter this whole time. ]

[arkitect]

I am certainly not your minder.

[he's not here to babysit, just don't make a mess and make their lives harder!!

some of the paperweights are intentionally rock-shaped, for whatever reason, and he's busy going over them to see if any of them are similar enough to inspect closely. why is this place Like This.]

[assistance]

Ooh, maybe he isn't as much of a killjoy as I originally thought!

[ she's not being intentionally messy or anything, but she's not being too mindful of keeping things tidy, either. strangely enough, nothing in this plush pile seems to be remotely pom-like! frowning, she walks a little past the display when something else behind a very conveniently-placed glass case catches her eye. ]

... Speaking of, we miiiight actually need to break something, if that's what I think it is.

[moondumplings]

[ casually leans her chin over alyssa's shoulder like they haven't just met ]

........Oh! Is that-?

[ she fishes out her phs to compare the item to the lockpick listed. SCORE ONE TO THEM. ]

...... Eeeeeh I didn't think we would actually need to break something like this.

[arkitect]

[well, that doesn't sound good.

it sounds a whole lot like something he would rather not get involved with, thank you, but seeing as they're all stuck together... he sighs, gathering up the few rocks he has identified as Close Enough that need further inspection.

and, on spotting the display case:]

...of course.

[of course it's like this.]

Well, they certainly have not stopped anyone from stealing; damage is likely no different, if no other way to open it presents itself.

[assistance]

[ looks at usagi. looks at emet. looks at the display case. looks at the rocks. ]

. . .

You know, even if none of them are the one we're looking for, all those rocks could still be of some use to us.

[ cracks a mischievous smile. ]

[moondumplings]

[ .......... usagi casually looks at selks-jiji and steps out of his way.

after you ]

[arkitect]

[he hands a rock to alyssa.

he's not doing that.]

You could at least pretend to seek other solutions.

[assistance]

Oh? What happened to all that talk about increasing our efficiency? You brought us tools, we may as well make use of them, right?

[ still grinning, she noses her way into emet's personal space and rests her hand on one of his arms while she uses the other to grab another rock in order to pass on over to usagi. ]

It's just being resourceful!

[moondumplings]

[ oh no how did she end up the rock holder. she stares it at with wide eyes. is this..... her bad girl moment? ]

We don't really have anyone to ask if they could unlock the case for us after all...........

[ with that in mind it's time to yeet the stone and hopefully remember to duck when the glass shatters.

it's fine. ]

[arkitect]

I am still reviewing them, they were not brought here for you to brute force your way through the task.

[on the other hand, you know. he has nothing to do with this and it will make this go faster.]

I'll be wanting those back. Unless they shatter, in which case they're unlikely to be what we needed.

[me forgetting they disappear immediately bc it's 1 am: it's fine there's one that was just like gathered up into the rock bundle without contact it's FINE.]

[assistance]

[ sorry mr. responsible, there's only gremlin time now! which is to say alyssa laughs when usagi just fuckin throws the rock through the glass. she's a little more careful with her own, using it to bash some of the more jagged pieces of the case enough to be able to reach for the lockpick...

but as soon as she tries to close her fingers around it, it disappears into a small puff of sparkles. ]

—Huh? Where did it go?

[moondumplings]

[ welp ]

Did we get it......?

[ wow don't they look sus with rocks and broken glass but nothing to show for it now. time to just squint at the rock in her hand instead. ]

Does this mean this rock isn't it?